Drivers on Bott Avenue may have noticed a new road surface in the last week or so.
Instead of the former paved surface, there is a surface of tiny rock chips called “chipseal.”
According to Dave Brooks, alternative treatment supervisor for Colorado Springs Streets, the new surface was laid down over
the pavement. He said the expectation is that the surface will extend the life of the pavement below it by five to seven years.
The procedure is being used more frequently by City Streets. A major road with such a surface is Powers Boulevard south of
Fountain Boulevard, Brooks said.
One of the side effects of the new surface is that many of the little rock chips are still loose. “It'll settle in over time,” Brooks said.
Some of the loose chips have found their way to the side of the road, in gutters and driveways. The term he used for this is
“raveling.”
Brooks said the raveling will be removed eventually by city streetsweepers.